Keeping the brewskis on ice, Yeti beats the heat.
We’ve been testing a Yeti 50 cooler for a while now and we’re impressed with how superior it is to our thick-walled Coleman Xtreme.
Yeti coolers are expensive, but you get what you pay for. Durable and said to be bear resistant, we take that to mean a bear could roll it around and bite it without popping the top, giving you enough time to shoo(t) it away. The thick plastic shell is like something you’d use for storing ammunition or high-end electronics. It could even be considered overkill for an ice cooler, but our Coleman seemed to flake off plastic at the slightest opportunity and the lid never stayed shut. Yeti lids strap down with a couple of beefy rubber hooks that are super secure, and the shell of our tester is showing zero signs of wear, even after ballasting it with rocks to keep it upright in the hot tub.
Before the Yeti, we thought about getting an electric 12 volt cooler but that would have involved upgrading the PV system at WildSnow HQ. So using the Yeti is actually saving us quite a bit of money.
The lid seals tight and ice takes days to melt. This past fall the Colorado Rockies had a long period of hot weather. We’d leave the cooler packed with goods at the cabin and come back a week later to find the contents still cold with some of the ice intact.
We like the flat top. It is such a better design than the coolers with mickey mouse cupholder lids that collect grime. The lid has a grippy finish which keeps things from sliding off, but also makes it a little hard to clean: irksome if you’re a neatnic.
Downside: the Yeti is heavy and hard to drag across the floor because of the rubber plugs on the bottom. But the rubber feet are good for keeping it from sliding around your pickup bed (or your bass boat), and they’re removable.
We’re thinking the Yeti will be equally at home in keeping our goods from freezing solid when we leave it outside at night, during winter at 9,000 feet. Of equal importance is this; if you ski tour in cold weather the cooler in your truck needs to keep your sandwich from freezing solid. Yeti will do the trick.
In sum, we like it. A useful tool for the cabin and camping lifestyle. Shop for Yeti coolers.
Recap of WildSnow posts for the week of October 26 thru October 31, 2015:
Easy ways to improve your trailhead beacon check.
Soul of the Wilderness, Baldwin/Bily’s stunning new book.
Dynafit Superlite 2 DIY mounting instructions
DIY Brake Mod for Dynafit Superlite 2
Don’t Be That Lamer — Backcountry Code of Ethics
News In Brief — Greece, Tecnica, Arcteryx
WildSnow Girl, Lisa Dawson, is the luckiest girl in the world. Also known as Mrs. WildSnow.com, she tests whatever gear she wants. She gives the WildSnow family of websites the feminine voice.
